Final Rallies – Anti-climax to the Election Campaign

As parties finalized their election campaigns with their last rallies on the weekend before the May 7 elections, it is all systems go for the body running the election, the Independent Electoral Commission.

The ruling party, the African National Congress held their last rally before the election at the Soccer City in popular Soweto on Sunday. Addressing those present at the rally, the party’s president and its presidential candidate, Jacob Zuma urged those former members of the party who had left the party to come back home. He assured them that they would be received with open arms. He took the time to thank all those that had heeded the call to return to the ANC and told them that they had made the right decision. Jacob Zuma reminded that the Siyanqoba Rally did not mean that they had finished their job, adding that the real work was on Wednesday, the 7th of May when voting would happen. He urged all structures of the party to make all the effort to ensure that everyone who had registered actually went to vote.

Also speaking at the Siyanqoba rally, the Congress of South African Trade Unions president, Sdumo Dlamini told those gathered that the ANC would continue to rule after the May 7 elections adding that the ruling party was assured of the the workers’ support. The other members of the alliance to pledge allegiance to the liberation party were the SACP led by its leader Blade Nzimande, the ANC youth league as well as the women’s arm of the ruling party.

Not to be outdone, the Economic Freedom Fighters also held their own rally across town in Tshwane’s Attridgeville. The rally, which at some point was in doubt because of a misunderstanding between the party and the Tshwane Municipality, was held at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. Arriving at the stadium, the commander in chief of the EFF, Julius Malema was welcomed by a very eager and enthusiastic crowd. In his address to the crowd, the Gauteng Premier candidate for the party, Dali Mpofu told his party’s supporters that they should not be fooled by those that claim to have liberated the country as South Africans liberated themselves. He added that the EFF was a generation movement with a mission, that of political emancipation. He complained that the fact that media had chosen to cover the rally at the soccer city for the ANC and not theirs was testimony that the EFF need not expect any favors from the media.